


Virtual Affection

by GoldGlazedFluff



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Condoms, Crossdressing, M/M, MMORPGs, Makeover, Spit As Lube, Texting, uni students, vr au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2020-12-28 15:10:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21138740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldGlazedFluff/pseuds/GoldGlazedFluff
Summary: A modern day AU where Jin buys a VR for the summer and finds a game (and guy) he'd love to spend more time with.





	1. A Short Prologue

Jin had a long summer that stretched out far in front of him. His first year of uni had gone well enough and he was looking forward to the longest and least stressful summer of his life. He didn’t have the funds to go on holiday, especially after his large and most recent purchase: a VR headset. He didn’t have guardians to tell him how much of a bad idea it was. Besides, he thought it was a great way to trick his body into doing exercise and trick his mind into forgetting the troubles of life.

The headset arrived on the doorstep intact, and he managed to set it up without a problem. About half of the studio apartment he lived in was now the space he could roam in Virtual Reality. It was amazing how once the camera trackers on the tripods at each corner were set up, his whole body was picked up and he could wiggle and dance and have it all translate into the game.

The first game he tried, mostly to learn controls and at Lora’s suggestion, was Beat Saber. He had a rhythmic mind and found the blades very alluring. He played for hours, skipping meals and forgot about his hygiene. Beat Saber worked up a sweat in him as he got better and could play faster for longer and by the time he tapped out, his forehead was plastered in sweat and the sun had disappeared from the sky.

He had no idea how the time passed so fast.

He decided to take a quick shower and download a calmer experience. He knew Lora (while not having a VR herself but always wishing she had one) wanted the one where you make 3D ‘sculptures’ (dicks) but Jin wasn’t exactly a creative type. Once he showered, he started on searching the store for ‘Casual’ games. It wasn’t too far down the ‘Most Popular’ list when he saw an interesting VRMMORPG, which was a strange concept, but he knew about VR Chat and putting a story and combat to such a concept didn’t seem too bad.

The game was called ‘DairiLyfe’, Jin recognising the ‘Dairi’ part to be part of ‘Dairinin’, meaning ‘a person acting as a connection between two points’ like an agent or representative. He felt it was a fair enough title and read some reviews, all very positive with only a few negative ones complaining about the game being too big for their hard drive. Without much more apprehension, he clicked to download the game which was estimated to take…11 hours.

“Guess I’ll get lunch-…dinner.” He mumbled to himself and left the room to fix himself something to eat.

When he came back, the estimate had decreased to 3 hours, but that was still a lot of time to sit and wait for. He ate and watched memes on his phone for a bit before sighing and texting Lora his progress. Did she know that she purchased it? Did he tell Addam or Lora? He decides to play it safe.

_8:05pm_

_So don’t be mad at me…_

_FFS what have you done???_

_I finally got VR and played Beat_

_ Saber for like 5 hours._

_For real?? With what money???_

_I’ve been saving a while, also_

_Student loans and probably what’s_

_left from mum._

_Jin…_

_It’s great fun, you should definitely_

_come round sometime._

_I’ll be going to Torigoth for a month_

_but I’ll see…_

_Ooo how nice, lucky you_

_ _

Jin continued chatting to Lora about her trip, his very few plans for the summer and time dragged on. Eventually, Lora had to go and Jin had 15 minuets left. It was always when there’s a few minuets left that it always seems the longest. Jin sighed and let himself get dragged into his thoughts.

The first thing that swept over him was a crushing wave of loneliness. Sure, he had friends, but they weren’t from uni. Lora was his childhood best friend and he’d fallen so far into the friendzone with her that she had sent him a nude for critique before sending it to her boyfriend. Jin felt as if Lora had assumed him to be her ‘gay best friend’, but he’s Bi at most and has never even had a boyfriend. Sure, they both check out guys together, but Jin just wanted to find ‘the one’, as silly as it sounded.

Uni was meant to be a time to try new things and meet new people but the Gaming society mainly focused on competitive play (which Jin couldn’t keep up with and stressed him out) and he wasn’t enough of a nerd for the Comics Club. He was quiet and kept to himself during his lectures and seminars and didn’t really enjoy going out drinking and clubbing. He was a wet blanket, but maybe this game could change that.

Finally, as the loading bar completed, Jin slotted the headset back on and entered the game. Sleeping schedule be damned, he was going to have fun.


	2. Ice Queen

DairiLyfe was everything he wanted the game to be, and more. After he spent two further hours in character creation, he was stunned by the graphics and immersive feel of walking around. Jin had trouble creating a male character; the jaws were too strong and the eye options were sharp, silly, or dopey. He didn’t want to seem aggressive, he just wanted to be mild-mannered and have a good time. In the end, he switched the gender toggle and immediately found his very hairstyle. With a sigh, he took it as a sign and continued with his character creation. In the end, he finished with a tall-ish girl, with his hair and bright blue eyes. This complimented the ‘Witch’ class he chose, always liking the idea of firing ice shards at people from a distance. He called his character ‘Shin’, meaning ‘heart’ and was surprised to find it not taken.

Jin played through the tutorial, finding all classes have trees to get skills and bonuses to relevant stats. Amazingly, there was a whole ‘branch’ dedicated to ice spells; dealing less damage but debuffing enemies. He wasn’t a healer, but there was a spell to give someone an ice shield and he so assumed this was a support build.

At the end of the tutorial, ‘Shin’ was gifted a novice Witch set that included a wonderfully floppy hat that Jin auto-equipped. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the top half of his vision was obscured by the soft fabric. Finally, he was ejected from the starting towns and happy green fields, into the main server city.

While fantasy, the sudden influx of people milling around scared him. Most player characters were equipped with wings and mounts and all sorts of stuff Jin could only dream of. He looked around for someone less scary, or a quest giver, and through all the brilliantly gleaming golds and furs, he saw a quest marker. Ah. Jin gulped and made his way over to the large group, trying to slip past without causing much of a fuss and was then that a text box popped up in the lower left part of his screen, people selling items, and yet more wanting to buy.

He guessed it was a proximity chat and noticed that one of these people had his name, which was odd, and very confusing. He absently guessed that to help roleplay, people would want the name they want, not once with numbers trailing after it forever. As he made his way to the lady with the quest marker and accepted her request after a quick scan of what to do and where to go. He didn’t spend any more time in the large huddle and moved to where the chat died down. Aside from that main incident, wandering around the city; finding the crafting area, arena, and palace, Jin got used to the geography and picked up another quest to finish a tour around the city. He had to backtrack a little, but the minimap he found a toggle for on his controller helped a lot.

And so Jin continued, the game liberally handing out levels and rewards to speed new players along and keep them playing. Jin was happy in this new world; gaining skills and marvelling at the stunning variety of landscapes, all through his own eyes under a floppy hat. He barely even remembered he had a girl avatar until a different coloured chat box appeared in the lower right corner when in the middle of a forest for characters lvl 20+. Instead of ‘Global’ or ‘Trade’, it read ‘WindKingXoX’ with the message ‘__Hey girl, you cute’__. Jin froze. He knew he had been PMed, that wasn’t the issue. He froze because he had no idea how to respond.

The easiest thing to do would be to just say ‘Thanks’ and move on, but replying would just mean that 1) He was accepting the guy’s advances and 2) Did not mention that he is, in fact, also a guy. Jin didn’t like to ignore people, happy to have short small talk with people, just not for very long. He didn’t want to blank this guy and move on since he didn’t want to come off as rude. Jin bit his lip, worrying the skin before he sighed and brought up the chat. A keyboard to point at letters popped up too.

_WindKingXoX: Hey girl, you cute._

_You: Thank you. _

_WindKingXoX: Want to help me out? We need a support._

_You: Sorry, I just joined today. I don’t know how helpful I’ll be._

_WindKingXoX: It’s fine, just follow me :)_

Jin felt his heart in his ears. He wasn’t sure what he’s got into and the word ‘we’ struck more fear into him than his end of year exams. He had very little time to prepare before the guy in question walked up from behind Jin and summoned a portal in front of him. WindKingXoX gave Shin a thumbs up before going through the portal and Jin hesitated but ultimately decided continuing alone was getting boring and if he helped out, he might get him some good loot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first multi-chapter thing I've done. Hope It's not too messed up lol


	3. A Friendly Face

Jin tried to prepare himself as the loading bar filled for what could be on the other side of the portal, and yet he was still shocked. He stepped into a cavernous room filled with pools of lava that dimly lit the surroundings, not nearly high enough to detail the ceiling. He had no idea how big this room was, but he saw player avatars fighting flaming skeletons and he swiftly realised why he was recruited.

Staying back, he targeted the two characters at the front line with his ice shield, giving a bonus to defence, and then used the ‘Frosty Mist’ spell to coat everyone in range fire resistance. He found that despite the monsters being a much higher level, his ice attacks did good damage and they were much more susceptible to being slowed and frozen by his powers. Once Jin got into a rhythm, a pop-up in the lower right asked him if he wanted to join Metsu’s team. The unfamiliar name threw him but he concluded it must be this group and ‘Metsu’ is one of the others. He accepts and there is a group chat showing older messages.

_WindKingXoX: Why me?_

_+Obrosune+: You’re just extra DPS, we can hold them without you._

_WindKingXoX: Wow rude._

_X_Benkei_X: Get going fanboy or I’ll pummel you in the Arena again._

_WindKingXoX: Plz do_

_X_Benkei_X: I’m going to kill you._

_+Obrosune+: Mik, just get us help._

_WindKingXoX: Fine fine. You can thank me later_

_Shin has joined the team!_

Jin scanned the text while he kept up with the group that stormed their way through to the centre of the cavern where a pile of bones lay still. He’s played enough games to know those aren’t going to stay still. Sure enough, as the two on the front lines stepped into the centre ring tiled with stone, the bones shuddered into movement.

The skeletal creature looked like it had the rib-bones of a snake with the head of a bird, but on closer inspection, it was more reptilian. A dragon by all accounts and it was fierce too. Jin kept his shield skill up at all times but he could still see his team’s health tick down as the bone dragon belched fire in a cone at them. He fired off Frosty Mist as soon as it was off cooldown but it wasn’t enough and he didn’t have a way to heal. Luckily, the archer that was also in the back lines fired a white bolt into the dragon that pinged back green orbs to the party, giving them some health back.

It was a very close fight by the end of it; the healing arrow having a very long cooldown and the dragon not letting up for a moment. Eventually though, the team won and there was a congratulatory round of cheers from the team. Shin levelled up twice just from that one boss, yet alone the skeletons and he pulled up his stat page to allocate his skill points. He didn’t notice the chat.

_+Obrosune+: Very nicely done_

_WindKingXoX: Your WELCOME!_

_X_Benkei_X: Yeah cos it was all you. Also it’s you’re not your idiot_

_WindKingXoX: huh?_

_X_Benkei_X: Grammar, dumbass. _

_WindKingXoX: Sorry I didn’t get what you were saying because of your lack of punctuation._

_X_Benkei_X: Oooo, look at Mik, using more than one syllable. I’m so proud._

_Metsu: I think we should thank our Witch before immediately starting to argue._

_+Obrosune+: I agree! Thank you Shin!_

_X_Benkei_X: Thanks Shin_

_WindKingXoX: It wasn’t so bad, was it? You should help us again, or join our guild: Torna!_

It was at this point Jin noticed the chat and quickly fumbled out an apology for not noticing while he was levelling up, that it wasn’t a problem and decidedly saying nothing about joining their guild. They seemed like nice enough people, but he didn’t want a guild that needed people to be active and do dailies and stuff like that because he didn’t know how much he could play after summer ended.

Then he gets a pop-up: _WindKingXoX has invited you to their guild!_

_ Accept?_

Jin thinks for a moment and with a long sigh, accepts, because what else is he going to do? Go back to doing quests alone? Slaving away with strangers doing a dungeon crawl for so much less EXP? The moment he accepted, the guild tab unlocked in chat and the Guild page pops-up. Torna. An interesting name. Guild Leader…Metsu?!

Jin glanced over to Metsu who seemed to be sorting their inventory, his fused eyebrows on his character made Jin chuckle as he just looked furious sorting through bones that were useful and bones that were not. He checked the guild more and to his terror, found that the others in the team are the Vice Captain and Elite Captains respectfully! There were others in the guild, quite a few in fact, all at terrifyingly high levels compared to him and checking on the Guild Rankings they were, 7th?! Globally?!

What has he got himself mixed up in?!

Then, he gets an alert from his PMs tab.

_Metsu: If you have any questions about the game, the guild, or me, don’t be afraid to ask._

_ _

Jin was slightly confused by ‘or me’, but thanked him anyway as the team disbanded with cheerful goodbyes. Instead of figuring out how to leave the instance, he logged off with a quick message to Metsu explaining that it’s getting very late where he is and he’ll be on tomorrow.

_Metsu: That’s fine. We’ll probably go soon anyway too. See you tomorrow Shin. _

Jin would be lying if he said his heart didn’t flutter at the sign of friendship. He might be thinking too much into it but as he took off the headset he felt a warmth in his heart. Maybe everything wasn’t so bad.


	4. A Breathtaking Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fucked up! I'm sorry, I timed myself poorly (plus this was a longer chapter). Still, no excuse.
> 
> Although, at least now the boys are finally getting some alone time.

Jin hoped that the fire cavern was a timed instance but as he logged in after breakfast, he was still stuck in that hell pit. He hesitated for a few minuets, browsing the Q&A in the help section but couldn’t find anything about leaving specific instances. Defeated, he drew up the guild page to see who was online and while a couple of the team were offline, the Guild Leader, Metsu, was on. Of course he was…

He opened up the PM conversation with him, getting a little rush of happiness at the message Metsu had sent him the evening before, and choreographed a message that hopefully didn’t make him look like an idiot.

_You: Hey Metsu, I hope you don’t mind me messaging you. If you’ve got some time, could you explain teleportation to me? _

He hoped he gave enough information to make it clear, but not so much that it was clear he was stuck. There was at least a minute before Metsu’s reply.

_Metsu: Are you still in the caverns?_

_You: Yes, why? Can you not teleport out?_

_Metsu: Just head to the back of the cavern, there’s a portal at the back. Or you can teleport to me._

_ _

Oh.

Jin quickly rectified his idiocy with quick thinking, not even allowing himself to dwell.

_You: Oh, I assumed so but it wasn’t working for me. _

_Metsu: Ah. It can be a bit temperamental. Just teleport to me then. _

_You: Will do, thanks._

Jin made the reply quick so he could figure out how to do just that. He clicked on Metsu’s name in the PMs, skimmed through the usual options like ‘Add Friend’, ‘Block’, ‘Report’, ‘Inspect’ and then finally, ‘travel to’. Jin clicked as quickly as eh could and the loading screen appeared, allowing him to take a breath before he would have to face Metsu again. Though hoping he wouldn’t embarrass himself, he was still buzzing with what he might get up to today, especially with such strong people that were so supportive.

The loading screen gave way to a bright white and Jin found himself squinting to shield his eyes. As he adjusted, a gorgeous landscape swept out in front of him; rivers carved into tumbling hills all leading out from a waterfall whose source was from a floating island in the sky. The hills swept into the distance, smoothing out to lap at a distant pixelated coastline. Jin was stood at a balcony jutting from a tower carved into the cliff and as he looked over, he saw he was miles and miles up from the land he saw and immediately withdrew since it all looked so real. There was a chuckle from behind him.

“Like the view do you?” a low, gruff voice asked, though simply because of his timbre, it sounded like an accusation. He wasn’t paying too much attention though, since that was the first time he had heard someone speak in this game. Was it only in places like these? Was there a microphone to set up? In honesty, Jin didn’t want to know the answer because the whole group was probably thinking Shin was a girl…it all made sense.

The pieces clattered into place, Jin had barely seen a female avatar on this game, probably for this exact reason. Having to speak is a stressful thing but of course any player would think a girl character is a girl because you can’t lie about your voice. Sure, voice mods existed, but for VR? A convincing one? He didn’t know. But now he knew why they were so nice, that’s why they didn’t judge him for playing a girl avatar…because they think Shin IS a girl.

Panic spread through Jin as he considered coming clean, but he equally didn’t want to lose what he’s only just gained. Lying was better than losing the friendships he’s started to gain…but honesty is required in any relationship…his dilemma wasn’t helped by Metsu coming to stand next to him.

“It’s ok. You don’t have to talk. I personally just think it’s easier than typing. I can show you how if you want.” Metsu explained that gave Jin an out he didn’t hesitate in taking. He shook his head to the offer and started typing his lie.

_You: I haven’t set up a microphone yet, and I don’t like talking with strangers. Sorry. _

_ _

The worst part was, that Jin wasn’t technically lying. He knew he probably just needed to turn on the integrated mic that came with the headset, but it still wasn’t a whole complicated lie he’d need to remember to keep up. He looked to Metsu and expected his character’s already peeved expression to darken further, but it didn’t; instead he shrugged.

“That’s fair. Still, you didn’t answer my question.” Metsu almost teased, Jin heard a smirk in his tone but he would never know for sure. Jin thought back to when he arrived, the view he saw and the startle he felt then nodded. He could see Metsu in his peripheral vision as he nervously fiddled with the remote in his hand. Suddenly, he heard a low grumble and Metsu leapt off the balcony next to him. Jin yelped in surprise and rushed to look over the balcony, expecting a body, something, still not accustom to the fact it’s VR. Still, he didn’t understand people who could just ****do that, ****VR or not.

Before Jin could wonder where Metsu went, a skeletal, flaming dragon skull rose to face him and Jin stumbled back with another strangled yelp. The skull was huge, easily as big as Shin and a snaking body trailed after it. It was huge, and familiar. From just behind the mane of flame, Metsu wrangled the mount to lower so his hand was reaching out to Shin and within touching distance.

Jin rationalised it would be fine, it was just VR, and reached to grab Metsu’s hand. He wasn’t expecting a cutscene that made Metsu grip Shin’s arm and draw her close, his eyes blazed with the same fire as the dragon for a moment as Shin settled behind Metsu. Jin was shocked. His cheeks heated up just as fiercely as the dragon and he dipped his head to try and stop thinking about how incredibly intimate that cutscene was. Was that because of the genders? Does it do that every time? How does he even get a mount?

There was a soft chuckle from in front of him, a sound Jin was growing weaker to with every second, but Jin realised there was an ulterior motive to the chuckle as the dragon turned from the balcony and plunged downwards to build speed before it shot out and through the waterfall. Jin felt as though he was on the most terrifying park ride ever when he’s just stood in his studio flat. He tried to breathe, an easy thing to do when it wasn’t really being ripped from his chest, but the sensation was still exhilarating. Jin found himself trying to hold onto the sides of Metsu, who has a tight grip on the dragon’s horns and wild smile on his lips. Of course, Shin’s arms phased through Metsu’s body.

Eventually, the dragon evened out and in huge, lazy circles, glided around the skybox around what must be Metsu’s homestead; an expansive, fully rendered area. It was almost elven in design, pristine because weathering would in fact require more effort, Jin remind himself. Nothing decays in a digital world. Still, Jin finds himself looking at Metsu rather than his house. Because of course he does.

He never gave himself time to look at Metsu’s avatar, mostly just impressed by the grumpy eyebrows. Despite being a Guild Leader, Metsu didn’t dress overtly fancy, he wore very protective looking armour and the only thing particularly outstanding was the jutting pauldrons and intricate crystal on his chest. He had no idea if it was a class or aesthetic thing, but he found the idea of a crystal embedded in the chest very cool. He then realised that the only reason he could see that crystal was because Metsu faced him. Jin took a moment to compose himself before he looked up to see Metsu smiling at him. The calmer flying meant he had lost the wild look, an almost soft expression on Metsu’s face, if such an expression was allowed with his eyebrows.

“It’s thanks to you I got this…and some other, less cosmetic stuff, but that’s no fun.” Metsu said and Jin immediately started typing to humble himself.

_You: It wasn’t just me, it’s not like I could have done anything without a DPS and tank._

Though the pause for Metsu to read his message felt awkward, it was much better than talking and throwing away this moment.

“Yeah but we literally couldn’t have done it without you. You were just what we needed Shin, thank you regardless. There’s no need to be humble. You’re cute enough as it is-I-I MEAN-! Not…forget I said that.” Metsu returned to steering the dragon. He banked the dragon downwards, towards a sizeable courtyard before the tower with the balcony.

All too soon, Metsu flipped off the dragon -no doubt another animation- and Shin followed off. He fell for too long for Jin not to squeak a little in his living room. He braced as he landed, having tucked his arms in and bent his knees upon impact. He did not move for a good ten seconds. It’s was another chuckle that loosened his limbs and made him open his eyes. He looked to Metsu, stood so perfectly framed against the trees that bloomed in the courtyard and Jin lost more breath in that moment than the entire dragon flight.

He might not be gay, since he can’t go falling for some pixels, but Metsu’s real voice melted so perfectly with his character, Jin caught himself imagining what Metsu must really look like. It’s this fascination that Metsu must have picked up on as his character smiled and took a step closer.

“I’d ask you if you like what you see, but I think I’ve got my answer.” He teased and Jin shook himself out of falling too far, too deep. He did need to give Metsu an answer though.

_You: It’s more like, what I hear, but yes._

_ _

Jin replied, mostly to convince **himself** that he was not falling for a bunch of pixels and that it was the person behind it, but after reading it back to himself, it just sounded like he was flirting. Which was what Metsu certainly took it as as he stepped forward once more, surely closing the distance when he was certainly close enough as is. Jin stayed put as Metsu walked up to stand an arm’s reach away, a power behind the way he held himself and looked down at the shorter Shin. Jin had to reach up and push the flop of Shin’s witch hat out the way to look up at Metsu properly.

“May I ask where you’re from, Shin? It’s fine if you don’t want to but I don’t want you feeling left out when I know all the others I team with in real life.” He explained in one breath, like there’s something he wanted to say instead of the explanation but he’s using more words to distract himself. Jin knew the tactic well. Despite never being good at saying the right things, Jin knew how people talked mostly from over-thinking absolutely everything at every possible occasion. He typed out a response to Metsu, explained where he was from but that he was currently studying a city over. He kept it vague, both cities were large enough to stay vague.

“Are you serious?” Metsu asked incredulously. Jin feared the worst and immediately looked back at what he typed and thought it might be something about his age? Was Malos a lot older than him? Was it the fact he didn’t have a job?

_You: I’m sorry if I offended you…_

_ _

There was a natural wait Jin had grown used to, and then a loud sigh from Metsu.

“No Shin, I’m studying there too! I can really hammer down and get some top quality gear from raid now it’s summer! I must have seen you around, I can’t believe I missed you.” Metsu explained loudly, probably his way of showing excitement.

“If you’re not too busy, after the weekend raid, we could meet up. If you’re up for that kind of thing of course. I get how pushy I’m being.” Metsu continued and while Jin really didn’t like letting people down, surely if Metsu found out that Shin is…well, Jin, he would never do anything like this for him again. Metsu had given him an out, but it was Jin’s own mind that made him feel like he owed Metsu everything.

_You: Sure. What time would that be? And where do you want to go?_

_ _

His agreement did not come from a place of fear, or even pressure, because Jin had an idea. He just hoped Lora would agree.


	5. A Perfect Meeting

The conversation drifted after that. Plans were made to go out for dinner after the Saturday raid at 6pm their time and Metsu helped Shin gain levels and ran with her through her first dungeon where Metsu had to be scaled down to a more appropriate level. WindKingXoX messaged Jin at some point but he was in the middle of an instance at the time. Metsu eventually had to go and join a raid that was still far out of Shin’s level range but Jin found out how to teleport to the Guild grounds and waited for Metsu to come back.

The Grounds seemed like a city of their own. There were much better forges and crafting tables catering to high levels, as well as a labyrinth of defences that lead back from the gate. It was clear this was what a Guild that raided looked like. As Jin walked into the Guild hall, he saw Metsu, but not as he knew him.

In the centre of the room was a large statue of gold that depicted Metsu with his furrowed brows, but none of the simplicity Jin admired him for. Here, he was mounted on an alicorn with a dragon pet curled around his shoulders, kitted out in the most over-the-top gear and possibly worst of all: an elaborate king’s crown nestled on his head.

Jin watched the statue for a while, he also spotted similarly elaborate statues of the very people he had been a team with yesterday but nobody was as gaudy yet stunning as Metsu. Jin didn’t hear the commotion from outside until the real Metsu walked up beside him.

“Honey I’m home~” Metsu chimed too close to Jin’s ear and he jumped in surprise that also made Shin jolt, a reaction that Metsu chuckled to.

_You: Stop sneaking up on me!_

_ _

Jin asked to deaf ears. Metsu was grinning, clearly in a good mood, probably not just from making Jin jump out of his skin.

_You: Did it go well?_

_ _

“Well we got some good gear. I’m not naming names, Mik, that’s Wind King, got a little tilted after his fan combos kept getting interrupted and he kept dying but the rest of us did pretty good!” He explained and turned to face Shin after looking at his own statue.

“Ridiculous, isn’t it? It’s what the Guild wants to see though. They need a strong leader, looking the part is a lot of that.” Metsu answered to Jin’s unspoken thoughts. Jin nodded and can see where Metsu was coming from. Metsu had been nothing but pleasant towards him and he fully intended to return the favour. Jin turned to Metsu and typed confidently, finally without apprehension.

_You: I’m going to do everything I can to make this guild great. I’ll help you however you want me to. That’s a promise_

_ _

Metsu went silent to read the message, and then was silent for a while longer before he turned from Jin, a large smile on his face.

“I can’t wait to meet you, you perfect stranger.” He mumbled, barely loud enough for Jin to hear but oh, he did.

That evening, Jin texted Lora, the weekend seemed so far away.

_10:36pm_

_Lora please don’t be mad_

_Omg Jin just tell me_

_Ok so_

_???_

_I downloaded this VRMMO and it’s really good_

_and I’m doing well and it’s not PTW but_

_I found a guy on there and he’s super nice_

_and I think he likes me and I certainly like him_

_but because my avatar is a girl he thinks I’m a_

_girl and it turns out we live in the same part of_

_the city and so he wants to meet up but I know_

_he thinks he’s meeting a girl and so I need you to_

_do my make-up and let me borrow an outfit._

_Please._

_…_

_Could you not just, TELL HIM_

_YOU’RE A GUY?!_

_We’re beyond that stage! If I make sure he’s_

_nice, or Bi, or whatever, please Lora, I need_

_this for my soul._

_Jin…_

_:c_

_Don’t give me the sad face._

_:C_

_What size are you?_

_Thank you!!_

_ _

Jin put his phone down and sighed in relief. His plan was going to work just fine. If Metsu wasn’t what he made himself out to be, he could easily tell him that he enjoyed playing DairiLyfe with him, but wanted to keep it as just that. He hadn’t accounted for falling for the real Metsu, most likely because the real Metsu wasn’t gay. Somewhere in his heart, that hurt, but he didn’t give it too much thought and spent hours and hours playing with Torna and learning Metsu’s friends by their real name.

Jin had been careful to avoid giving his real name in the days that followed, even when he found out Metsu’s name was actually Malos. He trod a very careful line but it was all going to pay off when he could say he actually went out and did something over the summer. He was quietly confident in his ability to pull this off, especially when Lora arrived with the largest dress she had and a bag of make-up. He had just finished helping out with the raid, the timing was perfect. He told Malos he would be at the restaurant in an hour which caused a barrage of question marks he left Malos to deal with. This left Jin and Lora to have a lovely chat while she made him the prettiest girl to ever grace the earth:

“Jin you’re an absolute idiot, you know that?” She half-yelled, her voice strained but her hand needed to remain focused.

“Indeed I do. But I want to see Malos. Even if he is a weirdo, or even scary, my curiosity isn’t going to let me ****not go**** at this point.” Jin explained calmly and Lora gave an angry huff.

“Does internet safety just, not apply to you or something?” She grumbled and Jin had to chuckle.

“Hold still you dummy!” She chastised, her insults never having matured from when she was eight.

“It’s going to be fine Lora. I’ve been stressing about this for too long for anything to catch me off guard. That’s how I work best.” He softly explained to her as he grinned.

“If you end up having sex, you owe all of it to me and my amazing work.” She growled, entirely non-threateningly.

“I think you’re underestimating my natural beauty you’re bringing out.” Jin teased. It was so easy to be around Lora, Jin began to feel the same with Metsu, but now this was turning to real life and he hoped the feelings were similar. There was only one way to find out.

“Alright. I’m done. Keep this with you to touch up and write cute messages on the mirror, or whatever I guess.” Lora handed Jin the lipstick she was just applying to his lips, he nodded gratefully.

“Now get out there. If I hear you messed up, you best be catching these hands.” Lora threatened and held her fists up, not even remotely in any kind of combat stance.

“I’m going. Thank you Lora, I honestly mean it.” Jin smiled and slipped into the nicest shoes he owned (since there was no way Lora would have heels in his size) while Lora packed her things away.

They walked out Jin’s door together then parted once they got to the apartment car-park.

“Hold on, Jin. Are you WALKING??” Lora yelled as Jin was walked towards the pedestrian exit.

“Yes. It’s not too far. I’ve still got-” He checked his phone for the time, cursed loudly and dashed to Lora’s car “-I need a ride.” He begged. Lora nodded and got in the driver’s seat, Jin riding shotgun. Lora was a fast enough driver that they were only a couple of minuets late but Jin didn’t get out. He scanned the outside of the restaurant for any sign of who he might suspect was Malos.

“Jin, hurry up, don’t keep him waiting!” But it was too late. Jin had spotted a man with scowling eyebrows and dark hair. Of course he wasn’t wearing armour, a crisp black suit almost camouflaged him against the night. He was, of course, stunning. Malos always had been, and Jin was frozen with fear so similar to how he first felt on that balcony when he first heard his voice.

“Jin? Go on!” Lora insisted but Jin shook his head, eyes wide, panicked. He couldn’t. He couldn’t do this. He didn’t know why he thought he could. What was he trying to do, trying to fool someone by putting on make-up and a dress? What did he want from this? To say he wasn’t a total failure? If anything, that just made him more pathetic.

He felt Lora’s hands squeeze on his shoulders and she met his shaken look with a concerned but calm one “You can do this.” She whispered. It was wrong, trying to deceive Malos, so the first thing he would do would be to open up to him. Tell him the truth. That was step one. He worked through more steps to take and eventually, he got his breath and heart rate to calm enough that he could look Lora firmly in the eyes and nod.

Jin turned and stepped out the car, gripping the clutch bag with his wallet and lipstick in it like a lifeline. He turned to give Lora a last, very nervous smile, before he closed the door and nodded for her to drive away. She did so, after a reassuring smile of her own. Jin faced the restaurant, a nicer, more pricey one for the area and tried to not notice a shadow approaching from his peripheral.

A cough from his side alerted Jin to a presence he already very well knew was there. He turned with a smile and was shocked to see the previously cool-looking Malos, blush. He had expected to be the shy one in this situation, but as Malos tried to form words, it seemed like Jin had to take the reigns. He spoke softly, not trying to immediately let Malos know the truth, since he looked startled enough as it was.

“You’re Malos?” He asked with a small tilt to his head. The man’s eyes grew wider and his blush deepened and Jin began feeling incredibly guilty. Malos can’t expect this forever. No. He needed to explain now, or not at all.

“I’m Jin. Yes, that’s a guy’s name.” Jin said, and the words kept tumbling.

“I’m…I’m a guy. I can’t fully express how very sorry for deceiving you. I understand if you want to cut this short because of me. I understand perfectly.” Jin continued and his eyes started to water.

“I wanted to see you, to see what you’re like but I also knew I couldn’t lie to you forever and I just…” He was only stopped by his own voice cracking as the first tear of many rolled down his cheek. Lora had used water-proof mascara, planning for tears of both ends of the spectrum. He fell silent, the last thing he wanted was pity and so he turned away from Malos to try and even out his breathing. He was lucky nobody else was outside to watch this sordid display.


	6. A Shift Of View

I had fallen hard for Shin. I though Patroka had done a decent job with her character but the perfect icy maiden look and timid nature made me weak at the knees for this girl that apparently lived so close. Even in DairiLyfe, there were Gold Diggers and as a Guild Leader of a high ranking guild, I had my suspicions. If she and her perfect, soft, sweet personality was all just a ruse to get me to shower her with my hard earned gear. I pushed to meet her aware of this, thinking a fake would make excuses and was genuinely surprised when she agreed. We set a time and a place, suspicion ebbing away but as 8pm came and went, a sliver of doubt wormed into my heart. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, but then I saw a car pull up and my worries melted away.

Her hair was exactly the same as in game. That was the most beautiful thing about her. It made her fierce when everything else was so soft. I watched her stay in the car with a friend, the street lamp above them let me see her friend firmly place her arms on Shin’s shoulders. _She’s nervous_. I was already weak. I had to lean against the wall. I saw the shift of her hair as she shook her head, my heart bled for her.

Eventually though, by no power of my own, she stepped out the car and it drove away. I let her take some careful steps towards the restaurant, but couldn’t stop myself when she drew closer. I pushed off from the wall and the closer I got, the more beautiful she was. I could see her bright blue eyes under the sweep of hair, her make-up highlighting everything that was amazing about her. She turned to me with a smile that I never knew could snatch my breath away but there it was; a perfect, beautiful smile.

“You’re Malos?” She asked in a small, soft voice, just like the rest of her. She watched me as I tried to say something, so many praising words on the tip of my tongue but all of them so cliché and obvious.

Then, she turned the situation on its head.

“I’m Jin. Yes, that’s a guy’s name. I’m…I’m a guy. I can’t fully express how very sorry for deceiving you. I understand if you want to cut this short because of me. I understand perfectly. I wanted to see you, to see what you’re like but I also knew I couldn’t lie to you forever and I just-” He cut himself off by trying to halt his tears. I was beyond speechless. I wouldn’t consider myself to have had a long life, but for all my years, I have never had anything close to this happen to me; I highly doubt many people would.

I was in a difficult situation, it was like being catfished but he wasn’t doing it for the money or a bad joke. He was nervous and clearly lacking in social skills. I wanted to tell him that everything would be ok, that I didn’t mind in the slightest, but I know what that sounds like to people who think too much into things. I exhale the breath I didn’t realise I had held and ran my hand down his arm, to his forearm, to his hand, brought it to my lips, and kissed his knuckle.

He looked shocked. Honestly, I didn’t know what he was expecting, but I had to be careful what I said next.

“I fell for you. Whatever form that ‘you’ takes, I don’t mind, as long as you’re comfortable with that self.” I explained as gently as I could. It seemed to work as Jin slipped his thumb out of the hold I still had on his hand and used it to squeeze my hand tight. I stepped into his space and used my other hand to cup his cheek, wiping away the drying trail the tears left. He didn’t flinch, luckily, I didn’t know if my heart could take it if he did-

“So you…don’t hate me?” My heart shattered. His innocent voice, his hand holding mine, his hope-filled eyes gazing up at me. I had never wanted anything more in my life. How long had I been content without this feeling?

I held him. I held him tight for as long as I dared. I carded my fingers through his hair and made an audible whimper when it was just as soft as I hoped. I wanted to cry myself; this was perfection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you didn't mind the change in perspective.   
There was no way Jin would know what Malos was thinking, and I've wanted to try writing in the first person for a while, did it work ok?
> 
> Nearly at the end, next chapter is smut, because of course it is :P


	7. A Small Reward For Getting This Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning, Smut.   
It's quick, it's hot, it's horny uni students doing what they gotta to finish this fic.

Jin had slowly accepted that Malos still liked him, no matter what. He suspected he’ll look back on this whole incident in a few years and laugh to himself. He’ll get why, but he’ll also know the story from Malos’ perspective and will wish he wasn’t such an idiot.

The meal they had was amicable, and after the heat of emotions, food and small talk was perfect. They discussed what they studied, societies they went to (Malos convinced Jin to try out the D&D society, claiming he would love the Tundra Storm Barbarian class) and learned a lot more about their respective friends. Of course, they learned about each other too, but it became clear that by the time they had paid, they certainly wanted to get to know each other in a different way too. It was only natural for university students after all.

Malos had got a taxi to the restaurant and ordered one to take the two of them back to his apartment after. They held hands in the back of the taxi, their grips tightening the closer they got and palms getting more and more clammy.

Once out, Malos paid and rushed Jin up to his apartment. It was a multi-storey building and taking the elevator was a good idea since the moment they saw it was empty, they shared their first kiss and hands roamed fervently. Moans elicited from the two of them as the elevator ascended, breath hot against lips as it stopped. Malos grabbed Jin by the hand and dragged him out with all the willpower he had, fumbling in his pocket for his keys, then fumlbing more at the door. Jin made a small whining sound before moving behind Malos and touching up his sides. Malos shivered and finally managed to unlock the door.

From there, clothes were cast off barely after the door shut. It was a mad scramble to expose skin; hungry and carnal. Malos picked Jin up and slung him over his shoulder to at least get him to the bedroom, throwing him down onto the duvet and planting his place over him. Jin squirmed under Malos’ harsh gaze, wrapping his arms around the large body encompassing him. Jin pulled Malos down into a flurry of searing kisses, their tongues plunged past lips and danced with each other. Both began to pant, skin taking on a sheen of sweat. They knew what they both wanted.

Malos reached to grab a condom from the bed-side drawer and hoped it’s the right size since he only had it as a gift from the uni. He tore open the seam with his teeth, Jin hating that he wasn’t kissing him but moaned at the alluring action. Malos took out the condom and went back to the crushing kisses while he rolled it on.

Jin had never had a boyfriend, didn’t know how this worked, but there was a insufferable heat low in his abdomen that he couldn’t douse by himself. He whimpered and held Malos by the cheeks.

“I need you inside me Malos, as deep as you can.” He begs and Malos groaned hotly in response. He lifted Jin’s legs over his shoulders and spat down onto Jin’s ass. He took his thumb and rubbed it over the tight muscle. Jin arched his back, the cool touch divine, but nowhere near enough. He gazed up at Malos under thick eyelashes and Malos had to mentally stop himself from fucking Jin then and there.

Malos spat on his own cock and then again where his thumb was stretching and pressing further into Jin’s tight ass. Jin released a lustfully charged whimper at the insistent stretching and pressing and because Malos was careful, none of it hurt. That did however, only make him more desperate.

Finally, Malos deemed Jin loose enough to take his cock and tested it by pressing the tip in very, very slowly. Jin shifted under him, hands gripping the sheets, hair a mess but still looking so fucking beautiful. Malos pressed himself in further, much to the pleasure of Jin under him, but he was incredibly tight.

“Jin, I need you to breathe, and relax.” He instructed firmly and Jin managed to focus enough on Malos’ firming presence to even out his breathing and kept everything and relaxed as possible. When Malos felt Jin loosen, he fully sheathed inside him, causing Jin to moan the loudest he has yet. It seemed Malos has reached the point Jin wanted him to and he made an effort to roll his hips in the same spot to press against that point over, and over, and over.

Jin swiftly became undone by Malos’ tactful thrusts, his hand limply came to slap loosely over his mouth while all kinds of beautifully arousing noises poured from his lips. Malos didn’t want to pin those arms down, not the first time, not while he needed Jin to stay with him as he picked up his pace.

Once Malos established a rhythm, neither of them lasted very long at all, Malos’ thrusts picked up in unison with Jin’s voice as they both came deep and hard. Jin plastered both their chests with thick cum and Malos was glad he was wearing a condom since he didn’t want to guess how long Jin would have to clean himself out for. Malos stayed thrust inside Jin for a few more moments, savouring and committing this moment as one of the best of his life.

“Ma...los” Jin breathed out in two takes. Malos gazed down at him with a tired but satisfied smile, prompting him to continue.

“I’m…Definitely, in love with you…” he whispered in compensation for how ragged his voice is. Malos nodded in total agreement.

  
”I never thought I would find someone as perfect as you. I’m never letting you go.” He promised to a very sleepy looking Jin as he slipped out of him, grabbing some tissues from the drawer and roughly clearing up the worst of the mess as well as the condom. He settled beside Jin, drawing him close and stroking his hair until his breathing grew heavier and Malos started hearing soft snores. Malos also grew weary and closed his eyes too and _this is it_, they both thought. This was everything they both needed, through the wild tribulations it took to get here, they fell asleep the most content they had ever felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!   
It's about time I posted again, I'm not sure what I'll do next but I finally know how to do chaptered fics, which is nice.


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